Ornamental sweetpotato plant named &#39;NCORNSP-021SHJB&#39;

ABSTRACT

‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’ is a moderately compact, to compact, non-twining, slightly upright variety producing many short shoots. It is distinguishable from other cultivars by its purple heart shaped leaves that are entire with a cordate base; a moderately compact to compact habit and semi-erect mounding plant architecture. The purple leaves of this plant, short internodes, and the plant architecture are what make ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’ unique amongst the current ornamental sweetpotatoes in the marketplace. ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’ also exhibits very good vigor and is very well branched. In greenhouse and field trials conducted since 2013, ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’ has been shown to be much less vigorous than  Ipomoea batatas  ‘Margarita’ and ‘Blackie’ and is suitable for use as a landscape or containerized plant. The production of flowers by ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’ is sporadic under short day conditions.

Latin name of the genus and species: The Latin name of the novel, ornamental plant variety disclosed herein is Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.

Variety denomination: The inventive cultivar of Ipomoea batatas disclosed herein has been given the varietal denomination ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Ipomoea batatas is a member of the morning glory family Convolvulaceae. This species is grown worldwide and it exhibits a wide range of plant forms and colors. The cultivated members of Ipomoea batatas grown by farmers worldwide are commonly produced for consumption of their nutritious, enlarged storage roots. These types typically produce a fast growing green vine that has a wide variety of leaf shapes ranging from palmate and deeply lobed, to cordate or triangular shaped leaves with no lobes.

Like their edible forms, Ipomoea batatas ornamental sweetpotato (OSP) plants are a heat-loving, drought-tolerant, perennial vine typically grown as an annual. However, ornamental sweetpotato plants are distinguished from the edible cultivated forms in that they possess unique foliage colors, leaf shapes, and growth habits, giving them significant value in the ornamental marketplace.

Ornamental sweetpotatoes are desirable in the landscape and ornamental industries because their foliage comes in a wide variety of colors (e.g. pale yellow to dark purple with some exhibiting temporal and individual leaf color variegation patterns) and plant shapes (e.g. mounded and very compact to prostrate and highly spreading). They can be grown in a potted plant and/or mixed planting format, and they have the ability to cover a large space or hang over walls and decorative pots creating brightly colored and textured backdrops in gardens and patios. Most ornamental sweetpotatoes continue to grow throughout the entire growing season and require little maintenance. Moreover, these plants have few insect or disease problems.

To meet the growing horticultural demand for ornamental sweetpotatoes, it is desirable to produce new cultivars of ornamental sweetpotato with new or improved foliage colors, variegation patterns, leaf shapes, and plant architectures. In addition, it would be advantageous to develop cultivars of ornamental sweetpotato exhibiting a more compact growth habit that do not out-compete other species in mixed containers.

‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’ was bred to meet the increasing demand for new ornamental sweetpotatoes. ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’ is a moderately compact, to compact, non-twining, slightly upright variety producing many short shoots. It is distinguishable from other ornamental sweetpotato cultivars by its purple heart-shaped leaves that are entire with a cordate base; a moderately compact, to compact habit and semi-erect mounding plant architecture. The purple leaves of this plant, short internodes, and the plant architecture are what make ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’ unique amongst the current ornamental sweetpotatoes in the marketplace. ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’ also exhibits very good vigor and is very well branched. In greenhouse and field trials conducted since 2013, ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’ has been shown to be much less vigorous than the Ipomoea batatas OSP ‘Margarita’ and ‘Blackie’ and is suitable for use as a landscape or containerized plant. The production of flowers by ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’ sporadic under short day conditions.

Lineage

‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’ (breeding designation NC8219-006ORN) originated from open pollinated seed harvest from the proprietary Ipomoea batatas breeding line NC6751-045ORN (the female parent; not patented). Botanical seed was harvested from this and other ornamental sweetpotato lines planted in our summer advanced ornamental replicated trials between June of 2012 and November of 2012 in Clinton, N.C. NC6751-045ORN resulted from a conventional cross between the proprietary Ipomoea batatas breeding lines NC4855-001ORN (the female parent; not patented) and ‘Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Red’ (the male parent; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 19,013). Botanical seed from this half-sib family was planted in the greenhouse in December 2012. The first cycle of selection on the population was exercised in the seedling trays and survivors were transferred to a single 6-inch pot, which was then maintained in the greenhouse. Cuttings (2 each) were taken from the plants in April and planted in the field as 2-plant unreplicated plots during mid-June 2013. The single, individual plant now known as ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’ was selected Sep. 6, 2013 based on its combination of exceptional features, and has been propagated asexually since that time.

Asexual Reproduction

Since its selection, Ipomoea batatas ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’ has been asexually reproduced in North Carolina predominantly by vegetative propagation of vine cuttings. Successively, there have been four cycles of vegetative propagation, one cycle of tissue culture micropropagation, and multiple vegetative propagation cycles to increase the plant population. Asexual reproduction of ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’ by cuttings has shown that the unique features of the new cultivar are stable and the plant reproduces true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

NCORNSP-021SHJB’ is a moderately compact, to compact, non-twining, slightly upright variety producing many short shoots. It is distinguishable from other cultivars by its purple heart-shaped leaves that are entire with a cordate base; a moderately compact, to compact habit and semi-erect mounding plant architecture. The purple leaves of this plant, short internodes, and the plant architecture are what make ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’ unique amongst the current ornamental sweetpotatoes in the marketplace. ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’ also exhibits very good vigor and is very well branched. In greenhouse and field trials conducted since 2013, ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’ has been shown to be much less vigorous than Ipomoea batatas ‘Margarita’ and ‘Blackie’ and is suitable for use as a landscape or containerized plant. The production of flowers by ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’ is sporadic under short day conditions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photographs in the drawings were made using conventional techniques and show the colors as true as reasonably possible by conventional photography. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description, which accurately describe the colors of the new Ipomoea batatas.

FIG. 1 is a color photograph of a typical specimen of greenhouse grown Ipomoea batatas ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’ in a 6-inch pot from the top, 50 days after planting.

FIG. 2 is a color photograph of a typical specimen of Ipomoea batatas ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’ from the side, 50 days after planting.

FIG. 3 is a color photograph showing the variety of leaves produced by Ipomoea batatas ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’ and the lower surface of the leaf (bottom row) 50 days after planting

FIG. 4 is a color photograph showing the variety of roots produced by Ipomoea batatas ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’ in the field, 115 days after planting.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW VARIETY

The following is a detailed description of the botanical characteristics of a new and distinct cultivar of Ipomoea batatas plant known by the cultivar name ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’. All colors cited herein refer to The Royal Horticulture Society Colour Chart designations (The Royal Horticultural Society, London, 1995, 4^(th) ed.) except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. Plant descriptions are based on the standardized international sweetpotato descriptors established jointly by the International Potato Center (CIP), Lima, Peru; The Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center (AVRDC), Taipei, Taiwan; and the International Board for Plant Genetics Resources (IBPGR), Rome, Italy (CIP, AVRDC, IBPGR. 1991. Descriptors for Sweet Potato. Huaman, Z., editor. International Board for Plant Genetic Resources, Rome, Italy, 134pp.). Where dimensions, sizes, colors, and other characteristics are given, it is to be understood that such characteristics are approximations or averages set forth as accurately as practicable.

The descriptions reported herein are from a group of 50-day-old specimens grown individually in six-inch azalea pots. The plants were grown in Raleigh, N.C., under commercial practice in a glass-covered greenhouse, where, during the fall, day and night temperatures range between 30-40° C. and 22-26° C., respectively. After rooting, plants were treated with 200 ppm 20-10-20 fertilizer daily. Plant measurements were taken in November 2015 in Raleigh, N.C. Ipomoea batatas ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’ has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions; therefore, the phenotype may vary under different environmental conditions such as season, temperature, light intensity, day length, cultural conditions, and the like, without however, any variance in the genotype.

-   Classification:     -   -   Botanical name.—Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.         -   Common name.—Ornamental Sweetpotato.         -   Variety name.—‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’. -   Growth conditions: Ipomoea batatas ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’ has very good     vigor and a moderate growth rate. In locales with mild winter     conditions, Ipomoea batatas ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’ will grow perennially;     otherwise it is an annual plant. Similar to other cultivated     sweetpotatoes, wind or rain rarely causes much damage to     ‘NCORNSP-020BWL, but if damage does occur, the plant drops the     damaged leaves and grows new shoots at nodes where the leaves were     lost. -   Aboveground structure and coloration: FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4 show the     shape and coloration of a typical specimen of Ipomoea batatas     ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’. Color may vary somewhat in response to     temperature and nutrient stress. Overall, this cultivar is a     moderately compact to compact, non-twining, slightly upright     herbaceous plant that has an average height of ˜18 cm and an average     area spread of ˜42.9 cm. The growth habit of this plant is to grow     slightly upright with shoots growing outward. -   Branches:     -   -   Branching habitat.—Freely-branching with ˜2-3 primary             lateral branches coming off the stem. Dense foliage and no             pinching is required to stimulate branching. Branch texture             is smooth.         -   Vegetative lateral branching.—Length: ˜30.5 cm. Diameter:             ˜0.6 cm. Internodes are short with an average length of ˜1.6             cm.         -   Secondary lateral shoots.—Many lateral branches are formed             and each axil has latent shoots. Length: ˜3.3 cm. Diameter:             ˜0.4 cm. Internodes are very short with an average length of             ˜0.9 cm.         -   Stem.—Round and smooth with a slightly upward, outward, and             slightly undulating aspect and very strong, slightly             flexible, non-brittle strength. Color: Purple (RHS             N77A-N79A).         -   Adventitious roots.—Present at nodes. Color: Yellow green             (RHS N144A) with purple (RHS N77A).         -   Petiole.—Petioles are held slightly upward and display the             leaf horizontally. Leaf petiole has a smooth texture with a             matte finish. Length: ˜10.8 cm. Diameter: ˜0.4 cm. Color:             Purple (RHS N77A). -   Foliage: Leaves are alternate and tend to slightly spiral around the     stem. They are cordate and entire. Leaves have 0 lobes per leaf.     Leaf shape is somewhat variable as is size (see FIG. 3).     -   -   Quantity.—Moderately-heavily foliated, with ˜26 leaves per             lateral branch.         -   Mature leaf length.—˜10.3 cm.         -   Mature leaf width.—˜9 cm.         -   Leaf margin.—Entire.         -   Leaf apex.—Acute.         -   Leaf base.—Cordate.         -   Leaf texture.—Smooth texture and matte finish.         -   Venation.—Pinnate to cross-venulate. Texture: Smooth.         -   Color.—Leaves are yellow green when immature, maturing to             purple and range within those palates as they mature. See             also Table 1.

TABLE 1 Leaf color of Ipomoea batatas ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’. Leaf Structure Upper Surface Lower Surface Young Leaf Yellow Green Yellow Green (RHS (RHS144A) and slightly 145A-B) and slightly Greyed Purple (RHS Greyed Purple (RHS N186C) N187A) Mature Leaf Greyed Purple (RHS Greyed Purple (RHS N186A-N186B) N187A) Vein- mature leaf Greyed Purple (RHS Purple (RHS N79B) N186B) Vein-young leaf Yellow Green Yellow Green (RHS (RHS 144A) 145A-145B) with slight Greyed Purple (RHS N187A) on midrib

-   Inflorescence: Ipomoea batatas ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’ flowers     sporadically throughout the season in response to a variety of     stressful conditions (e.g., drought, nutrient stress, cloudy     weather). Shorter day lengths enhance flowering, but the precise     photoperiod for flower induction is currently unknown. Solitary,     regular funnel-form flowers arising from leaf axils on secondary     lateral branches are formed. Peduncles are purple (RHS N77A) and     have a smooth texture. Peduncle length: ˜4.8 cm, peduncle width:     ˜0.3 cm. Flower buds are pink (RHS 75A-75D) and elliptic. Flower bud     length: ˜2.2 cm, flower bud width: ˜0.5 cm. Corolla width: ˜3.6 cm,     corolla length: ˜3.6 cm. Limb color: Light purple (RHS 76D-76C) on     the outer surface and light purple (RHS 76B-76C) on the inner     surface with a slight white eyezone. The inner throat color gets     lighter from base to limb going from light purple (RHS 76A) at the     base to lighter purple (RHS N80A-N80B) near the limb. The limb is     pentagonal with slight fragrance. The flower averages five sepals.     The two outer sepals are shorter than the inner sepals. Average     sepal length: ˜0.9 cm, average sepal width: ˜0.4 cm. The sepals are     obovate with an obtuse to caudate apex and are purple (RHS     N77A-N77B) to slight green (RHS 146B-146C) in color. Sepal texture     is glabrous on both the upper and lower surface. A single pistil     consists of one style and one stigma ˜1.8 cm in length. The stigma     is white (RHS 157D) and the style is white (RHS 157A). The stigma is     slightly relative to the stamens. The ovary is greyed yellow (RHS     160A) and superior with two locules that contain one or two ovules.     At the base of the ovary are orange basal glands (RHS 163A)     containing nectar, which cover halfway up the ovary. The flower     averages five stamens. Each stamen consists of a single     cream-white-slight pink filament averaging ˜1.1 cm in length topped     with a single cream anther averaging ˜0.2 cm in length. Filament     color: cream white-slight pink (RHS N155C, 76C). Anther color: cream     (RHS 155A). Pollen color: cream (RHS 155A). Pollen amount is sparse.     Fruit has not been observed under normal greenhouse conditions. -   Storage root coloration: Ipomoea batatas ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’ forms no,     to small, underground storage roots that are occasionally malformed     and do not meet USDA Sweetpotato Storage Root Grade Standards (see     FIG. 4). Fibrous roots are typically cream (RHS 155B) with purple     (RHS 77A-77B). Storage roots that are formed possess purple (RHS     N79A-N79B, N77B) skin and a greyed orange flesh (RHS 167B-167D) with     a thick cream (RHS 158A-158B) cortical ring. -   Disease or pest resistance: ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’ is susceptible to     whiteflies and spidermites in a greenhouse environment.     ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’ is susceptible to damage by Japanese beetles under     outdoor conditions. The susceptibility of ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’ to other     known insects and pathogens of sweetpotato is unknown. Under low     light conditions, slight edema may occur. -   Comparison with other Ipomoea batatas cultivars: ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’     is very distinct based on leaf shape and plant architecture. Of the     common cultivars of ornamental sweetpotato, ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’ is     best compared with the ‘Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Purple’ (U.S.     Plant Pat. No. 18,573) and ‘NCORNSP-019SCSHLM’ (U.S. Patent     Application Publication No. 20160316604) cultivars (Table 2). Like     ‘Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Purple’, ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’ has purple     leaves. However, the leaves of ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB” are cordate with a     cordate base compared to those of ‘Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Purple,     which are deltoid with a deltoid base. ‘NCORNSP-019SCSHLM’ has     yellow green leaves with yellow green tips, while ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’     has greyed purple leaves with yellow green tips. In addition,     ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’ has a moderately compact to compact, slightly     upright, non-twining plant habit compared with the moderately     compact to compact, upright, non-twining plant habit of ‘Sweet     Caroline Sweetheart Purple’ and the moderately compact to compact,     upright, non-twining habit of ‘NCORNSP-019SCSHLM’. Furthermore,     ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’ has a larger average leaf size compared with the     smaller leaves of ‘Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Purple’ and     ‘NCORNSP-019SCSHLM’.

TABLE 2 Comparison of ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’ with other Ipomoea batatas cultivars. ‘Sweet Caroline Sweetheart ‘NCORNSP- Characteristic ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’ Purple’ 019SCSHLM’ Plant Habit Moderately Compact Moderately Compact Moderately Compact to Compact, Non- to Compact, Non- to Compact, Non- Twining, Slightly Twining, Upright Twining, Slightly Upright Upright Average Leaf Length: 10.3 cm Length: 9.9 cm Length: 8.5 cm Length and Width Width: 9.0 cm Width: 6.9 cm Width: 6.6 cm Foliage Color Greyed purple (RHS Greyed purple brown Yellow green (RHS N186A-N186B) with (RHS N200A, 144A-144B) with yellow green (RHS 144A) N186A-N186B) with yellow green (RHS to slightly greyed brown yellow green 144A-144B) tips purple tips (RHS N186C) (RHS N200A, 146B-146C) tips Leaf Shape Entire. Cordate with Entire. Deltoid with Entire. Cordate with cordate base deltoid base cordate base 

We claim:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Ipomoea batatas plant named ‘NCORNSP-021SHJB’, substantially as illustrated and described herein. 